BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR SKYLAR STRICKLAND

Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News Skylar Strickland, Calvary Day School, Baseball Player of the Year with John Smoltz.

SCHOOL/YEAR: Calvary Day, senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5-foot-10/195 pounds

POSITION: Catcher

AWARDS: Strickland has been a first-team All-Savannah Morning News selection the last three seasons.

THE NUMBERS: Statistics alone can’t measure what Strickland meant to the Cavaliers. The team captain caught every inning of every game this season. His leadership, defense and handling of the Cavaliers’ talented pitching staff may have been even more important than his contributions with the bat, which were substantial. Strickland hit .494 with 40 hits, eight doubles, 26 RBIs, 30 walks and an on base-percentage of .615. He helped lead the Cavs to the Region 3-A title and to the Elite Eight of the state playoffs.

INTERESTS: Strickland also starred on the football field for the Cavaliers at linebacker and running back. He wants to major in criminal justice and become an FBI agent.

WHAT’S NEXT: Strickland initially signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the Savannah College of Art and Design, but the school announced this spring was their last season competing in the sport. Strickland remained upbeat during a tough situation and soon signed a letter of intent to play at Savannah State.

STRICKLAND ON HIS CAREER AT CALVARY: “Everything seems to blend together when you look back. ... But this year, we had a pretty young team and nobody expected us to do that much, so winning the region was pretty big. Getting a chance to play with guys like Hunter Newman (LSU) and Ryan Lawlor (Valdosta State) has been a great experience. There aren’t many high schools that have teams like we’ve had. We’ve had tough coaches who taught us to be better baseball players, while also teaching us to be better men.”

CALVARY COACH JONATHAN DAVIS: “Skylar has been the backbone of our program for the last four years as our starting catcher. He has been the glue that holds us together. He has made our pitching staff so much better with his work behind the plate, and he’s been a key to our offense hitting everywhere from first to fourth in the lineup. The thing about Skylar is that he has worked hard for everything he has got. He worked hard in the weight room, took extra cuts in the batting cage and put in extra time on the field with his glove and throwing. He has a passion and love for the game that’s going to help him at the college level.”